Day 20

Welcome Back!

I am currently in the midst of a journey to listen to only Christian music for 30 days, which has been a life changing event to say the least. If you are wondering as to why I decided to start doing this, then I suggest that you read my very first blog from this series. And if you are wondering if there has been any effect on my life yet, and you couldn’t answer that from my first sentence in this paragraph, then I suggest that you go and read any other blog that I have written. Now, let’s get into the blog for today.

For today’s post, we are going to look at a song that has a message that I don’t think many of you have probably ever heard of before, but I think is spot on! The song that we are spotlighting today is called “Dream Small” and it is by Josh Wilson. Now, I know what you might be thinking, and yes, dream small is definitely a weird thing to tell someone to do. We have been taught all of our lives to dream big, and shoot for the stars, so when Josh Wilson comes in here and tells us “No, you need to dream small”, of course that is going to ruffle some feathers. And that is exactly what this song did when it first came out! When people first hear the term “dream small” I don’t know what they think, but I thought that what he was saying was that we should dream small enough that we can accomplish the dreams that we make. And when I thought that I was like, “Yeah, that makes sense I guess. But I am not sure if I am sold on that or not.” But then I listened to the song, and I realized that is not at all what Josh is trying to say, and it was then that it hit me what kind of message he was trying to communicate. And it was also at that time that I thought, “Wow, that is exactly the kind of life that I am trying to live!” So to say that this song has had an impact on me would be an understatement! Anyways, let’s get into the lyrics of this song, so that I can show you why this song is so impactful.

The song opens up by painting a few different pictures of seemingly normal situations. However, these situations are much bigger than one might think, as we will see when we get to the main chorus. The lyrics open like this: “It’s a momma singing songs about the Lord, It’s a daddy spending family time, the world says he cannot afford. These simple moments change the world. It’s a pastor at a tiny little church, 40 years of loving on the broken and the hurt. These simple moments change the world.” Now, I realize that to many, a momma singing songs about the Lord to her children doesn’t seem like such a big thing. And a daddy spending family time with his family doesn’t seem like something that deserves a lot of recognition. Because after all, that is what you are expected to do right? Well too often in today’s world, those two things are missing in the lives of children, and that has an impact on them! And again, a pastor who has been at a tiny little church for 40 years might not seem like something that is front page worthy, but when you think about it, that pastor has had the ability to have an influence on COUNTLESS generations of people, and the fact that he has stayed at one church for 40 years is a testament itself! The thing that all these pictures have in common is that they all can have substantial, and profound impacts on the lives of the people they directly impact. A father playing with his kids is not going to cure world hunger, but what it is going to do is give those kids an example of how to love, and an example of what you do for people that you love. And the same can be said about the pastor! Yes, his congregation might not be more than a 1,000 people, and yes he might not get to attend Passion as a speaking pastor, but you know what he is doing? Making an impact on the lives of those that God has called him to make an impact on. And THAT is noteworthy!

The lyrics in the main chorus expand on this more when they say: “Dream Small, don’t by the lie you’ve gotta do it all, just let Jesus use you where you are, one day at a time. And live well, loving God and others as yourself, find little ways where only you can help, with his great love. A tiny rock can make a giant fall, so dream small.” Now, I don’t know about you, but those are some powerful lyrics to me! I love the idea of just doing what you have been called to do, and not buying into the lie that you have got to do it all. There are so many people, and I have been one of them before, who buy into that idea that they have to do it all, and they end up getting burned out. Instead, Josh offers the idea that we should just do what we have been called to do, and leave the rest up to God. I also love how he says that we should live every day one day at a time, and how we should find little ways where only we can help. That is how I want to live me life! And can you imagine? What would this world look like if we all lived our lives in this way? What would the world look like if everyone lived their lives looking for ways that they can help other people? I can tell you! It would look a lot more like Jesus wanted it to! And finally, I love how the main chorus talks about how a tiny rock can make a giant fall. I know Josh is not using the story of David and Goliath in the same context that we talked about it earlier in these blogs, or in the same way that my book talks about it, but I love how it works here. Josh’s message is that if we just do the little things, and we do what we have been called to do, then we will be able to use those little actions to take down a giant like Hate. I cannot agree more with him on this, and that is why I try to spend every day of my life living like this. And I hope that you do too. I hope and pray that you are living your life in a way where you are accomplishing what God has called you to do. Remember, there is nothing wrong with bigger dreams, just don’t waste the little dreams on your way to bigger things. (Actual lyric from the second verse) I hope that we all remember to “Dream Small” and I hope that God blesses you in your life today.